2016 NFL Draft: NFL hopeful and former Rutgers linebacker Kaiwan Lewis spoke with NFL Mocks about his college career and what his future holds…
NFL Draft hopeful Kaiwan Lewis has had one of the most wild roads to the draft of any player in this year’s class. Every player has a story, and the former three-star recruit out of Hammonton, NJ, has both a heart-breaking and motivating tale to tell.
Lewis originally committed to South Carolina out of high school, where he was recruited by a number of big time SEC schools and was offered by the likes of Michigan State, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, and many more. He played in 12 games as a sophomore at South Carolina where he racked up 54 tackles with four tackles for a loss and two interceptions.
In his junior season in 2014, he played in just eight games with 20 tackles. Late that season, his brother Bilal was tragically killed. Lewis said his brother has been the biggest motivating factor to him in his college career, and after finishing his junior year with the Gamecocks, he decided to transfer and be closer to his family in New Jersey.
Making it official last year, Lewis transferred to the Rutgers football program, where he quickly acclimated himself to the playbook and new coaching staff and earned a starting job.
“This year was a big year,” Lewis said. “Just to be able to play at home in front of my family and friends…I had my best season of my career this year in tackles, tackles for loss, and I learned the new system really fast at Rutgers. I just continued to build my resume and help my team out.”
In his senior season and only year with the Scarlet Knights, Lewis returned to the form we had all seen back in 2013 when he was a sophomore at South Carolina, except this time around a much more mature football player. He racked up 67 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
Moving to the next level, Lewis feels like he has the complete skill set that NFL teams are looking for from a linebacker.
“I feel like my game is going to fit in well because I’m such a good run stuffer and I diagnose plays. My pass coverage has come a long way since my freshman year. You’ve got to be great in pass coverage. One of the things that I’ve been working on (also) is my pass rush ability. Not only do you have to be good in coverage, but you have to be able to rush the passer as well.”
The linebacker position in today’s NFL game is so critical. I was talking to Lewis about the responsibilities of the linebacker and since they are the World Champs, I mentioned the Denver Broncos. Denver used Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall in a number of different ways this past year, whether it was in coverage filling gaps in the running game, playing zone coverage, man-to-man coverage — they did it all.
That’s what linebackers are expected to do anymore, and Lewis is going to have to prove that he can do it consistently.
And not only that, he’s going to have to play special teams as well, and that’s an opportunity any young player would look forward to, especially a linebacker who loves to hit people.
Lewis said that when he meets with NFL teams, they have a few questions about his past, but mostly, they just want to talk ball:
“They ask about switching up schools and then we just talk about football. They like what they see on tape, but the biggest question that needs to be clarified is why I transferred.”
When you look at Lewis’ pro day numbers, the number that stands out is the 4.95 in the 40-yard dash. That number will scare some people, but when you watch his aggressive, attacking style of play, and the way he’s able to diagnose plays on the field, it’s no wonder why Lewis compares himself to the player that he does…
“I grew up loving the Cowboys. For players, I always liked linebackers like Ray Lewis. As far as style of play, I feel I’m comparable to Vontaze Burfict.”
Burfict, who was undrafted out of Arizona State due to character concerns from NFL teams, ran a 5.09 in the 40-yard dash once upon a time. However, you could never deny his ability on the field, and that’s what Lewis is banking on.
“For me, I just love the game. I’m never scared of contact. I’m in attack mode at all times.”
When his football days are over, the sky is still the limit for Kaiwan Lewis, who graduated from South Carolina in three years with a degree in criminal justice.
“I have high hopes and aspirations of becoming a criminal defense attorney.”
Lewis is a daredevil on the field with his aggressive style of play and the way he uses his football IQ to determine where plays are heading, how to get his teammates lined up in the right spot, and how to use those skills to his advantage over guys who might be bigger, faster, or stronger than he is.
It’s more than just the bright red Rutgers uniform, but with the way he hits guys on the football field combined with hopes of someday being a criminal defense attorney, I had to ask:
“So, I guess you’re sort of like (Marvel superhero) Daredevil then, right?”
“Something like that, yeah.”